smile (sincerely)
by Xephonia
Summary: After his duel against Edo, Yuuya wanders off and meets the boy with the most sincere smile. (takes place after episode 104)
Yuuya has never seen such a genuine smile before. A smile so warm, so pure, so innocent that it is almost like the sun.

 _Why can he smile like that?,_ Yuuya thinks to himself. _Shouldn't he be sad?_

The smiling boy is sitting on top of a heap of rubble, letting his legs dangle. He is like a splash of colour in this grey and black scenery. He wears white, orange, green, red and blue - colours that usually don't fit together like that, yet they oddly fit him.

"Tomorrow I'll make it to the Diamond Branch," the boy says to himself. "Then I can return this to you, isn't that right, Shark?" He looks at the shark tooth-shaped necklace in his hands. "Please be there... you promised." For a moment, the smile saddens, but he shakes his head and his usual expression returns. Then he looks around... and spots Yuuya (whose initial reaction is to try and hide, but it's too late).

"Hey, you!" The boy shouts, putting on the necklace before jumping off the heap without fear. "I'm not from Academia, don't run away!"

Yuuya lets the boy approach him, but he takes a step back when the boy extends his hand to reach for Yuuya's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Yuuya tries to look the boy in the eye, but he can't. They both have red eyes, yet his own are always filled with doubt while the boy's are full of confidence.

"Tsukumo Yuuma!" The boy - Yuuma - says, grinning. "And you?"

"You can trust him. He's from the Heart Branch," Yuuya hears Yuuto say. Yuuto hasn't spoken since that happened, so it takes him by surprise. But when Yuuya waits for Yuuto to say more, Yuuto doesn't. Given what happened during the duel against Edo, that doesn't surprise him.

Yuuya looks at Yuuma, and it takes him a while to realize that he hasn't answered the question yet because he's been busy listening to Yuuto. "Oh, sorry! I'm Sakaki Yuuya."

"Sakaki... like Sakaki Yuushou?" Yuuma scratches his head, seemingly in thought.

"Do you know my father?!" Yuuya asks, desperate to know more about his father's whereabouts.

"Well he was a teacher in the Clover Branch, wasn't he? Kaito told me about him. Oh, by the way, have you met Kaito by any chance? He's fighting a lot these days." Yuuma crosses his arms behind his head, a mildly annoyed, yet playful expression on his face.

"I have dueled him," Yuuya says, and there's a pause in which Yuuma just looks at Yuuya.

Then. "You didn't get through to him, did you?"

Yuuya winces. "...I didn't."

"Don't let it sadden you. He's Kaito, he's always this stubborn." Yuuma gives him a reassuring smile, and Yuuya feels that warmth again. That warmth that makes him feel safe, yet also uncomfortably inferior.

"Are you his friend?" Yuuya asks, and Yuuma nods.

"Then can't you do something about it?" Yuuya finds himself feeling better, feeling better over the fact that Yuuma can't get through to Kaito either.

"We kind of agreed that I will look for Shark and the others while Kaito keeps Academia at bay," Yuuma says, and he shrugs. "We hope there are some survivors at the Diamond Branch's building. Anyway, Kaito isn't gonna stop dueling for revenge until Academia is wiped out. Of course, I don't like that, but I believe there's a way to get everyone out of the cards in the end. And then Kaito will be his old self again, too."

Listening to Yuuma, Yuuya feels small. Yuuya always says he's dueling for smiles, but all he's done is fake a smile all alone while changing nothing. He has yet to leave an impact on his opponents, he knows. Yuuma, on the other hand, is a ray of hope without even trying.

"How can you be this optimistic?" Yuuya asks, confused. "Even though your comrades have been turned into cards..."

Yuuma does a thinking pose. "Why? Well... I don't know complicated stuff like that! If I don't kattobingu, who will?"

"Katto... bingu?" Yuuya repeats, the word unfamiliar to him.

"It's the spirit to take up a challenge, a heart that never gives up. If you just kattobingu, then you can do anything!" Yuuma grins.

"So you're actually sad inside?"

"Eh? No, it's not like that. Of course, knowing the others are gone is sad... but if I do nothing, I will lose even more important friends, so that's no good! I know I can save them."

There's a silence in which Yuuya just looks at the boy in front of him, and then he realizes.

 _He's everything I want to be._

"Wanna duel?" Yuuma asks.

"Duel?"

"Yeah, duel! You're Sakaki Yuushou's son, so dueling against you will be awesome, I bet!"

"But weren't you looking for your comrades?"

Yuuma rubs his neck. "I was, but... Academia's on patrol right now, and I had to promise Kaito I'd turn every Academia member I defeat into a card. I don't want to do that, so I can't go to the Diamond Branch yet. But I haven't dueled for days now... So come on, duel me! It'll be fun!"

"You have fun dueling?" Yuuya straps his duel disk on and watches Yuuma do the same.

"Of course I do! Who doesn't enjoy dueling? I mean, look at your father, that guy always had fun."

 _That's right, he did._

Yuuya recalls all the advices his father has ever given him, being courageous and swinging like a pendulum, moving forward, never stopping -

 _Isn't that like Yuuma's kattobingu?_

Yuuya laughs - laughs sincerely, in a way he hasn't laughed in for years.

And then Yuuma joins the laughter and pats Yuuya's shoulder reassuringly.

"Alright, let's duel," Yuuya says, and he hits the auto shuffle button on his disk.

"Sure thing, let's go!" Yuuma performs a few backflips in quick succession, and he looks excited.

\- Field Magic - Cross Over -

"Duel!" Yuuma and Yuuya shout simultaneously

and Yuuya smiles.


End file.
